hoành hành

Vietnamese

Etymology

    Sino-Vietnamese word from 橫行, composed of (horizontal) and (to go).

    Pronunciation

    • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hwajŋ̟˨˩ hajŋ̟˨˩]
    • (Huế) IPA(key): [hwɛɲ˦˩ hɛɲ˦˩]
    • (Saigon) IPA(key): [wan˨˩ han˨˩]

    Verb

    hoành hành

    1. (derogatory) to go around and wreak havoc or cause rampage or wanton destruction, be it physical or institutional